Albany Library Book, Media Loans Up 14 Percent For 2009-10

The Albany Library saw a double-digit jump in circulation for the 2009-10 fiscal year, officials said this week, due mainly to the rough economy and the increasing popularity of online requests for materials from other libraries.

The library, one of 10 branches of the Alameda County Library, serves 18,000 people in and around Albany. Overall, the Alameda County system, which serves 523,000 people, saw a 10 percent increase in circulation.

In 2009-10 the Albany Library checked out 414,204 items, compared with 362,758 the year before.

"This increase breaks down to an average of 33,000 circulated items per month with a very high volume of holds placed and filled," wrote librarian Dan Hess on the Albany Library Blog earlier this month.

About half the items checked out were books, and the rest were other forms of media including CDs, DVDs and books on CD, said Ronnie Davis, library branch manager.

"A 14 percent increase in 'sales' would be significant for any business," Davis said. "The library is accomplishing this with less staff than we have had in previous years. It means that we are stretching tax dollars and doing a good job of providing service to our community."

More people have started to use the library website to make requests online, Davis said. In addition, patrons can request books from 150 libraries in California and Nevada via Link+, a free interlibrary loan network in which the Alameda County Library participates.

Davis said she thinks the economy has played a big role in rising circulation. With less income and more free time, the library draws crowds with a wide variety of free programs such as readings, workshops, book groups and story times. About 800 people use the library on any given day, she estimated.

According to the American Library Association, libraries across the United States have seen an increase. In 2008-09, the average person visited the library about five times, compared with about four visits per person in 1999-00, a nearly 20 percent increase over the decade.

Jean Hofacket, head librarian for the Alameda County Library, said the economy, and free access to the internet, have led to rising popularity for libraries.

"In difficult economic times, folk turn to libraries for assistance in job searching and preparation, (and) training in starting and maintaining a small or family business," she wrote in an e-mail to Albany Patch. "Public libraries serve as a part of society's safety net for those most impacted by economic downturns. It also helps illustrate very clearly that the mythology that libraries are dead and unnecessary is patently false."

Hofacket credited the Friends of the Albany Library with contributing to the branches' success.

"(They) devote time and effort to raising money for materials that add depth and breadth to the collection," she wrote. "The Albany Friends group is one of the best in the state."

Albany librarian Suzi Sargent said it wasn't hard to guess why people are drawn to the facility.

"Why not? It certainly makes sense. Instead of paying $35 for books, they come here," she said. "And the movies here are real popular."

Additional reporting contributed by Emilie Raguso.